LAPD Upset at Officer's 'Playboy' Shoot
L O S A N G E L E S, May 31 -- Ginger Harrison hopes she might actually boost police recruitment by becoming the first Los Angeles police officer to pose nude in Playboy, but department officials aren't smiling.
The 28-year-old cop is appearing in the July issue of Playboy magazine, despite outcries from the department.
The LAPD has asked the city attorney to investigate whether the pictures violate department policy, saying it expects its officers to exhibit the "highest level of professional conduct, both on and off duty."
The department is still reeling from the recent Rampart Division corruption scandal and has been trying to burnish its tarnished image.
Harrison said she doesn't see why the pictures should be a problem, however.
"It's nudity; we see it every day," she said. "It's really not that big of a deal."
Harrison said she even hopes the pictures will boost the force's reputation and show it's possible for officers to remain feminine and glamorous.
Last Playboy Cop Lost Her Badge
But a similar pictoral in the adult magazine cost another police officer her job seven years ago.
In 1994, New York City police officer Carol Shaya was fired for posing for Playboy in her official uniform. This time, the magazine says it is not using any genuine police uniforms or equipment.
In the photo spread, Harrison appears in six pictures with police props.
She insisted she got along well with her colleagues and that the pictures wouldn't make things difficult for her on the male-dominated force.
"I still will do the same job I did before and I don't see why it should be a problem," she said.
Some Colleagues Supportive; Some Just Want to See the Magazine
The initial reaction from her colleagues was mixed.
"It's her own personal thing," said Latisha Warren, a traffic officer in the city.
"It doesn't make her a bad cop."
Det. Art Placenia said not everyone agreed, however.
"I've talked to some of the female officers and some of them, they didn'tlike it at all," he said.
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